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Sleeping issues

I am new to the site and this is my first post. I have a beautiful 6 week old baby boy named Nicholas. One of the issues we are having is the sleeping situation. He doesn't sleep well. He currently sleeps in a cradle by my bed. He is always kicking and moving around waking himself up. He also will scream when I put him down after he is asleep. It may take 3-5 times of putting him down before he stays asleep. It is even harder in the morning. If I am really tired I just put him in bed with me, but don't want it to become a habit. I thought about getting a cosleeper so I can put a hand near him while he sleeps so he knows I am there. I have also thought about just moving him into his own room and letting him learn to go to sleep himself, although I hate to hear him cry like that. Some background on us is that we breastfeed and he usually gets up 2-3 times a night. He has a touch of colic and usually cries for 2-4 hours at night before we go to bed. Any advice would be great. Sorry this is so long.

Re: Sleeping issues

I would try either getting a co-sleeper or just putting him in bed with you before you let him CIO in his own room. Babies that young do not have the ability to self soothe and he's just telling you that he needs to be close to momma. I was one of those people who said I would never let the baby sleep with me but its been great! At almost 3 months we're also able to slowly transition him to sleeping alone in his pack and play or the crib.

If you're going to keep trying to use the bassinet maybe give it a little bit longer before you lay him down in there. His arms should be totally limp, like you can pick them up and they just fall back down. That way you know he's totally asleep. My baby takes about 20 minutes to get there.

Also, are you placing him on his back to sleep? Maybe try him on his side, perhaps he won't move around as much.

Re: Sleeping issues

I have a 7 week old that thrashes all over in his sleep, too. Last night, for the first time, I tried giving him Gripe Water. It is a natural remedy, with ginger and fennel, used to sooth babies' upset stomachs. After adjusting my diet to make sure what I had to eat wasn't affecting his sleep pattern, I decided to try the Gripe Water.
It was great. His sleep was much more peaceful, as was mine.
I found the product at our local co-op. You might try that.

Also, in regard to the co-sleeping: I highly recommend it. During the first two weeks, Alasdair (our boy) preferred his bassinet, which sat right next to our bed. Now he likes to be in bed with us. It's wonderful.
Even though I feel his every move (which gets tiring on nights that he's thrashing around so much), I'm comforted knowing that he is right next to me and I would be there were anything to happen. Also, co-sleeping allows me to place him on his side to sleep (as that other mama mentioned), which definitely decreases his movements during the night.
During the day, I'll put him on his belly to take a nap. He loves it and sleeps silently---but I'm sure to check on him a lot.

As for teaching himself to go to sleep---he's too young for that, I think.
You cannot hold your baby too much--at least for the first 8 months.
I'm all for attachment parenting. If a child cries, respond---allowing them to continue crying only instills a sense of abandonment. Responding to your baby isn't spoiling them in a bad way, it's simply letting them know you are there for them, you are available. Once your child recognizes that, they will learn to only call upon you when they really need you.
Responding actually instills confidence, not dependency.

Re: Sleeping issues

This isn't a popular recommendation I am sure, but my 7 week old doesn't sleep well unless he is on his tummy. One of the nurses in the hospital told us that he would be a tummy sleeper and she was SO right. He thrashes around on his back and wakes himself up often, but as soon as we flip him over, he is OUT and at night sleeps at least four hours straight. We do have the Angel care moniter which gives me peace of mind since it actually has an alarm that goes off if baby stops moving for more than 20 seconds so I don't have to worry so much about SIDS.

Re: Sleeping issues

I have said with each of my 3 kids, "I will not let them in bed with us". But each time I've learned that it is the very best way for everyone to get some sleep. With my first 2 it wasn't even because I was BFing, as I gave up on that with both of them rather quickly. With DS it was his colic and the only way we got any sleep at night, he would cry for 12 hours (4pm - 4am) if I didn't let him sleep with us. I was a student at the time as well, so sleep was very much needed. With DD#1 she didn't have colic, she just slept better with us then she did in her bassinet or crib. Again I was also a student at the time as well. With DD#2, she's a month old and BF. She's up quite often at night and instead of me falling asleep sitting up feeding her (which I had done many times) it just made more sense to feed her while we both slept comfortably in bed.

Re: Sleeping issues

Thanks for all the support. He does seem to sleep better on his side. He usully sleeps okay for 2, 3 hour stretches and if I want more sleep I usually leave him with me. We got our cosleeper that attaches to the bed so I can reach over and pat his back or give him his pacifier if needed. He only slept a few cat naps during the day today, so hopefully he will sleep well tonight.

Re: Sleeping issues

Originally Posted by Tallulah

This isn't a popular recommendation I am sure, but my 7 week old doesn't sleep well unless he is on his tummy. One of the nurses in the hospital told us that he would be a tummy sleeper and she was SO right. He thrashes around on his back and wakes himself up often, but as soon as we flip him over, he is OUT and at night sleeps at least four hours straight. We do have the Angel care moniter which gives me peace of mind since it actually has an alarm that goes off if baby stops moving for more than 20 seconds so I don't have to worry so much about SIDS.

Just my .02.

My lo has been a tummy sleeper since 2w (I think)....But we do co-sleep....

Try swaddling him too that keeps his hand and leg close against his body and stops those jerky movements

Re: Sleeping issues

Originally Posted by drabo

I am new to the site and this is my first post.

Originally Posted by drabo

I have a beautiful 6 week old baby boy named Nicholas.

Congrats!

Originally Posted by drabo

One of the issues we are having is the sleeping situation. He doesn't sleep well. He currently sleeps in a cradle by my bed. He is always kicking and moving around waking himself up. He also will scream when I put him down after he is asleep. It may take 3-5 times of putting him down before he stays asleep. It is even harder in the morning. If I am really tired I just put him in bed with me, but don't want it to become a habit. I thought about getting a cosleeper so I can put a hand near him while he sleeps so he knows I am there.

You could try swaddling and see if that helps to prevent him from waking himself up.

You might try assuring that he is deep asleep before putting him down. One way to to check is by *gently* lifting his little hand and letting it drop. If he doesn't startle, he's in a deep sleep.

You could also try putting him down in different positions. Laying him in his cradle straight on the back can cause the startle reflex to kick in. You could gently lay him in his cradle on his side, then roll him onto his back before you walk away.

A co-sleeper is a GREAT idea. Another neat idea is to use your crib as a sidecar. You take the one side rail off a crib, then set it up flush with your mattress. That option really is the best of both worlds because baby gets to sleep near you where he feels most comfortable, and baby gets his own sleep space. There are posts with pictures in the "sleep or lack of it" forum.

That being said, it's not a bad habit to let baby sleep or nap with you. It's a great way for you to be able to doze while your baby nurses. It's beneficial to both you and your baby.

I have also thought about just moving him into his own room and letting him learn to go to sleep himself, although I hate to hear him cry like that.

It's important to note that even the doctors who write books on the "cry it out" philosophy do not recommend to use it before four months of age. The reason for this is simple: Babies DO have a physiological reasons to wake at night. Hunger is probably the most easily recognized, but another very important reason is that light sleep cycles regulate baby's breathing and help prevent SIDS.

Originally Posted by drabo

Some background on us is that we breastfeed and he usually gets up 2-3 times a night. He has a touch of colic and usually cries for 2-4 hours at night before we go to bed. Any advice would be great. Sorry this is so long.

You might find it helpful to know that 2-3 wakings is very reasonable at this age, and quite common! My best suggestion is to find ways to help you maximize your sleep. Could you nap when your baby naps?

Re: Sleeping issues

I do swaddle him, but he usually squirms his way out quickly. He will occasionally sleep on his stomach, but he doesn't seem to love it. I have started sleeping him on his side which he likes. I have started checking to make sure he is fully asleep, but recently it hasn't made much of a difference. I try to sleep when he does, but I have trouble going to sleep. By the time I get to sleep he is getting up.

The thing that bothers me the most is his constant fidgeting. He never seems to get a good sound night of sleep lately. Last night he only slept a total of 6 hours. He is taking 10-15 minute naps during the day, maybe 1 longer up to an hour. He will be sound asleep, even sometimes on me, and wake up screaming.